


All's Fair in Love and War if You Add a Bit of Magic

by orphan_account



Series: FreshyZ [2]
Category: Undertale
Genre: F/F, F/M, I don't know how to tag if you couldn't tell, I'm just gonna say, M/M, My children are tol kiddos, go check out her stuff, i'm trying to get this done, tysm to Lollipopskele for being an awesome beta read
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-15 01:17:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,552
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21245132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Zapfino and Fresh are stuck in a new AU for the first two years of their marriage. This story takes place halfway through year 2. The AU is pre/early war, and Zapfino and Fresh are trying to survive and get out of this place, all without anyone finding out that they're monsters. It doesn't help they're rediculously tall.





	1. Child

**Author's Note:**

> Kay. First story I've ever really written and will be cracking down on. HUUUUUUUUUGE thanks to lollipopskele for helping me out as a beta read. Go check out her stuff, it's incredible. 
> 
> Here's the link to her tumblr: https://lollipopskele.tumblr.com/
> 
> Here's MY tumbr: https://echobird53.tumblr.com/  
Here's my deviantart as well: https://www.deviantart.com/phoenixwarrior0218

  
  
  
  


Zapfino grasped her cloak around her, pulling the hood in an effort to hide her face, which was already hidden by the mask she was wearing. But she could never be too careful, as the mask only covered her face, and the light grey of her skull would be a dead-giveaway that she was a monster, not to mention the huge scars that went around it. She was walking down the lantern-lit road of the village, keeping her head down as she looked through the holes in the mask, the black-tinted glass preventing anyone seeing her eyes. Or rather, the lack of them. She needed to hurry. Fresh had said that he was meeting up with her at the inn after she was finished buying daggers from the blacksmith. Despite the fact that both her and Fresh could EASILY use magic to defeat their opponents, they couldn’t risk being exposed. Their extreme heights already meant that they couldn’t stay in one place for long, for risk that people would start to get curious. 

Zapfino hated this. The constant hiding, moving from place to place, always looking over her shoulder. Which she did quickly, noting that almost every person she had passed was looking at her. 

Watching. 

Zapfino turned around and stopped, waiting until nobody was looking at her before she continued walking. Let them know she saw them. That usually got them to stop. 

She let out a sigh, she and Fresh where no strangers to moving from place to place, they universe hopped after all, but this wasn’t for fun, because they wanted to see a new area. 

This was because if they didn’t there was a chance they would die. 

Zapfino looked up, feeling the first drops of rain hit her shoulders. The water running off her dark purple cloak, the light teal riding dress underneath hidden in the folds. The cloak surrounded her completely, with a silver trim on the hood and edges. There was also a large crescent moon on the back, and a star pendant connected the cloak together at the front. It was fire-proof and water-proof, meaning she didn’t have to worry about it getting wet. The same couldn’t be said of her mask. 

It was black, and shaped like a crow. It looked eerily similar to a plague doctors, but the two lenses that allowed her to see were shaped to resemble eyes rather than plain circles . They did no good in making her seem less ominous. It didn’t help that at her height of 7ft 1 she towered over EVERYONE. She wore silver gloves that had purple diamonds on the back. She hated the one carved into her palm, but she had no problem having them on the back of her gloves. She was also wearing black boots, with silver buckles and laces. They did nothing to make her taller, which was the last thing she wanted, but they had lasted her the 2 years that she and Fresh had been in the AU, and she could always repair them with magic. She still had her hourglass pendant and wedding rings as well as her engagement ring. She constantly wore all of them on the silver chain around her neck, which was almost always hidden.

She was about a block away from the inn, the rain now pouring when she heard the crying. She stopped, using her magic discretely to enhance her hearing, and found that the crying was coming from the alley to her right. She quickly moved towards the alley, slowing as she reached the entrance. She knew her tall stature was casting a shadow in the already-dark alley, and the sky was raining buckets at this point. The crying wasn’t that of someone being hurt, or someone who was already injured. It sounded like the crying of a child, scared and alone. A sound that Zapfino had heard far too many times from herself. 

“Hello?” She called out softly.

“Is there someone here? I can help you if you’re lost.” She said, keeping her voice low and soft. Comforting. She didn’t want to scare the child any more than they already were. 

“W-who are *hic* you?” A voice called out from the shadows. 

“I’m Zee.” Zapfino said, moving towards the sound. “And I can help you. You shouldn’t be in the rain this late. Are you lost?” She asked, staring at the form of the child she could finally see. 

A pair of bright red eyes stared back at her. 

“Y-yeah. I’m C-chara.” The child replied, which Zapfino could now see was a young boy. 

“Prince Chara?” Zapfino asked, not stopping as she got close enough to touch him, her huge frame shielding him from the rain.

“T-the one and-d only!” He said shivering and moving closer to her. “C-can you get u-us out of the rain?” He asked, obviously too cold and tired to try to view her as a threat. She had offered help, and he wanted it.

“Of course my prince.” Zapfino replied gathering up the son of the monster king in her arms. He was so small compared to her, folding into her chest like it was the most natural thing to do. Zapfino quickly summoned her ecto-body, knowing it would be far more comfortable for the boy than her ribcage inside the dress. She used the trick she learned from Grillby so many years ago to heat it up, drying the boy off as she covered him with her cloak. 

“So tell me,” she mused, now holding Chara close to her, where he had attached to her and was burying his face in the folds of her dress,

“How exactly did you come to be so far from home, my Prince?” 

There was no way he could've gotten to this village all by himself. The monster capitol was at LEAST twelve days away, and that was if you rode nonstop. A normal trip would take about twenty days, and Zapfino knew full well that Chara’s physical condition wouldn’t allow him to travel that far alone. Everyone knew how fragile he was. It was why he was already surrounded by at least three guards. But there were no guards, and he was all alone, and Zapfino couldn’t in her right mind leave him that way. 

“You’re really warm and pretty.” She heard Chara murmur from her cloak. “You glitter, and you glow~” he said, and Zapfino gave a sigh despite not being able to breath. Poor boy either had a fever or had decided now was a good time to flirt with her.

She rounded the corner, rain still pouring around her. The cobblestone road covered in puddles and the light from lanterns constantly shifting. If it wasn’t for the child hidden in her cloak she would have stopped to watch. She always loved the rain, the constant drum lulling her to sleep in those few times she had gotten to go with Grillby on a trip to the Glowing Marshes because he needed supplies. To make sure she didn’t get in trouble, he’d say that she was his servant, and she’d be able to see the glowing rocks, the constant drum of condensation dripping from the ceiling on the cave. She’d whisper to the echo flowers, leaving silly messages as she skipped behind Grillby like a kid in a candy shop. A memory washed over her like a river.

  
  


_ “Grillby what’s this?” Zapfino asked, pointing to the glowing flower. Everything glowed here. It was beautiful, and Zapfino had decided almost immediately that this was her favorite place besides Grillby’s bar. And the-  _

_ No.  _

_ Don’t think about that.  _

_ It only hurts. _

_ “...That’s an echo flower child. You whisper to it, and it repeats what you say. Don’t tell it anything you wouldn’t wish someone else to know…” Grillby replied in his crackling voice, his flames snapping in a way that Zapfino had learned showed he was amused.  _

_ “REALLY?” Zapfino asked excitedly. “Show me, show me!” She cried hopping in front of Grillby, he hands behind her back. _

_ “ ‘show me, show me’ “ the flower repeated without Zapfino doing anything. She stared at it for a moment before her eye-lights turned to stars and she jumped up and down, a laugh that she hadn’t let out in a few years.  _

_ “Grillby, Grillby! Did you see that! Did ya see THAT?” She asked excitedly. “That was AMAZING!” She laughed twirling in a circle. Stars this place was incredible. _

_ Grillby let out a laugh of his own, his flames flicking in amusement as he watched her spin.  _

_ “...indeed it was, little skeleton…” he chuckled.  _

_ “I am not little!” Zapfino crossing her arms in a huff, fake pouting for a mere second before she smiled again and took Grillby’s hand in hers. “You gotta take me here EVERY TIME you go from now on!” She declared.  _

_ “...we’ll see, little skeleton…” he said, grasping her hand, warming it.  _

_ “GRILLBY!” a voice called out, one that Zapfino knew too well… _

Zapfino sighed. After Undyne had interrupted her and Grillby, with Undyne calling Zapfino all sorts of things, Zapfino hadn’t quite enjoyed the Glowing Marshes as much. She was always afraid of running into Undyne, and once when Grillby needed her to go by herself, Zapfino had said something under her breath, calling Undyne “fish bitch” so quietly she was sure that the Captain of the Royal Guard hadn’t heard her. 

She shouldn't have doubted the monster’s hearing, and Grillby had come looking for her after he had assumed that she had gotten distracted, only to find her left with just three HP lying with her bottom rib missing, beat within an inch of her life nearby where Undyne usually patrolled. 

Zapfino had refused to go back to the Glowing Marshes after that. She didn’t want to face Undyne, or see the smug smirk on her face every time Zapfino flinched when she heard her name. Undyne had ruined her favorite place, the only place where she could relax because she wasn’t in those DAMNED mines, and she had been too terrified to go back. 

Zapfino smirked knowing that since Error had destroyed her universe, Undyne was dead, but she frowned and her soul tinged at the reminder that EVERYONE in her universe was dead, including Grillby.  _ Stars, _ she missed Grillby. 

“Hey Zee.” A soothing voice called. Fresh was leaning against the wall of the inn, his voice clear despite his mask. It was thicker than Zapfino’s and shorter, along with larger lenses. His coat was a dark red, but it had a similar silver trim, though the line was larger along the bottom. Whereas Zapfino had a crescent moon on the back of her cloak, Fresh seemed to have the rest of it on his. There was something intimidating about the way he was standing. At first glance he seemed relaxed, but on a closer look you could almost see the tension. 

Zapfino knew that Fresh didn’t like it here. The constant fear of danger was slowly picking away at him. She hadn’t heard him use his 90’s slang since the first few days they had been here, they had quickly decided that to stay safe it was best if he got rid of it. She missed it though. She missed his carefree attitude, but they had both changed since they came to this universe. Always having to look over your shoulder would do that she supposed.

“Hey Fresh.” She replied softly, walking up to him. 

“We’ve got a problem.” She whispered. 

“What kind?” He asked, the worry in his voice clearly coming through.

“ I’ve found the prince Chara,” she began, and she saw Fresh stiffen, “He was hiding in an alley, soaked and filthy. I think he was kidnapped. We can’t just leave him here, but we also can’t keep moving. I think he’s got a fever, and we need to make sure it doesn’t get any worse than it is.” She said, shifting Chara in her arms. He’d fallen asleep while she had been walking. 

“Okay,” Fresh said, “You’re right. We can’t leave the kid here, and we can’t keep going. We’ll have to stay at the inn.” He complained. 

“Mmmm, mom I don’t feel so good…” Chara murmured, his voice muffled. The concern Zapfino had in her soul doubled. 

“We need to get him in a bed and healing magic in him quickly. What’s the plan?” She asked.

Fresh was silent before he spoke again.

“We ask for a room, and say that we have a sick kid with us. Show them Chara, but not all the way, just enough so they can see that he’s sick. We’ll go to the room, his clothes are probably dry by now with how much heat you’re giving off with your ecto-body. We’ll give him some healing magic and just do what you’d normally do in the case of a sick human. As soon as morning comes around we’ll head straight for the capitol after grabbing some food.” He explained. 

“What will we do if someone asks questions? Just ignore them?” Zapfino mused. 

“Pretty much, we’ll just focus on what we need to get done, don’t speak to anyone you don’t need to.” He said. 

“Got it. Let’s hope this works.” She stated.

Fresh looked at the door of the building before sighing. “Yeah. Here we go.” He murmured as he grabbed the doorknob and opened the door, the sound of people talking cutting through the drum of the rain, as they stepped inside.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ummm... it's just the next chapter XD.
> 
> Thanks to Lollipopskele for helping me with this chapter! Go check out her stuff. You might know her better as Lollipopkitten93! Go check out her stories and give her some love on her Tumblr!  
Check out my other story which is just some short drabbles and little things with Fresh and Zapfino  
https://archiveofourown.org/works/21097391/chapters/50197973

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the next chapter! It's a little longer than the last one. PLEASE remember that this is one of the first times I've written dialogue, and I'm not really good at it!

The sounds of people talking and the clinking of plates and cups quickly quieted as Fresh walked into the inn, Zapfino following behind him, the child hidden in her cloak. Fresh ignored the people now blatantly watching them, while Zapfino stared right back. That was usually how that worked. He walked with a purpose. The ceiling of the inn was high enough he didn’t have to hunch down, and he didn’t. He stood as tall as he could, back straight, shoulders back, long strides. He didn’t want anyone asking questions. 

Stopping in front of the front desk, he took a look at the owner of the inn. At least he assumed it was the owner. Most of the inns they had stayed at, which were few and far between, the owner was the one manning the front desk. It was just something that seemed common. 

The man had long black hair, which was put back in a ponytail, and his long beard was braided. He had thick eyebrows, and tanned skin. Amidst all the dark of his face, bright blue eyes looked back at Fresh. Hateful eyes. Eyes that certainly didn’t appreciate two soaking 7ft tall creatures in his inn.

“May we have a room?” Fresh asked. Quick and to the point. 

He didn’t want to have people watching them any longer than possible. 

“Depends. How much gold ya got on ya, _ monster _.” The man sneered.

“I am not a monster.” Fresh replied, as Zapfino quietly casted an illusion spell. He took off his mask, knowing it now showed a scarred face, and he had the too-large ears of a giant. It explained his height, and it made it make sense WHY he had covered his face. He quickly put his mask back on after the shock faded from the man’s own face. “I am a giant, as is my wife, and we have a child with us who is sick. May we please have a room.” 

This was no longer a question. It was a statement.

Giants still received some hate, but there wasn’t that huge tension between them and humans as there was between monsters and humans. Fresh assumed it had to do with the fact that they at least _ appeared _humanoid. It still took some effort to not go “that’s pretty unfresh, bro, to assume I’m a monster ‘cause of my size.” 

It was a lie, and one that they had used many times. His appearance changing multiple times, sometimes he was an ogre, sometimes an elf, but mostly a giant. It made it easier to quickly dissuade people from provoking him more if he made them think he was some seriously powerful magical entity, rather than a monster who could dust from a mere punch, and all someone had to do was wish to kill them. 

It also helped that no one could really call them out if everytime they were spotted with a mask off they were a different creature than before. But never a monster. They could _never_ actually show their faces. So they switched their creatures, and kept the curious confused. While this was a good disguise for them, it used an illusion spell, and _that _used a lot of magic. Plus, a mage would see through it in a heartbeat, and they did _not _need “impersonating a magical entity” as a reason the human Royal Guard was chasing them.

“Yeah, whatever. Doesn’t matter. Ya got gold or not, _ giant _,” the man replied with as much, if not more, spite in his voice than the first time he had spoken.

_ Great. This guy just hates anything other than humans in general. Wonderful. Keep it together Fresh. We need to get this kid in blankets quick, _ Fresh thought to himself, clenching his hidden fist, the other reaching for his gold bag. It didn’t stop his true body from moving around agitatedly in his host’s skull. But he needed to calm down. If he was moving around, he couldn’t focus, and he needed to keep his motions fluid. Quick. He _ really _didn’t want to be there. 

He took out thirty-five pieces of gold and placed them on the counter. _ This should be enough. _ After all, the sign outside had said fifteen G a night per person, and five per child. 

“Is this good?” he asked, doing his best to stay respectful. He didn’t want to risk getting the man angry. It was hard keeping up this formal facade. Fresh wanted nothing more than to return to his relaxed form, smiling and being chill. But he couldn’t be that right now, despite how much he wanted to.

“Hold on just a second there, pal. How do I know you ain’t lying about having a kid with you, because right now that's the_ only _ reason I’m letting you stay in my inn,” the man muttered, counting the gold to make sure that it was the correct amount.

_ Ah. So I was right about this guy being the owner. Radical. _

“Z.” Fresh said, turning to her. 

Zapfino slowly shifted her cloak, revealing the blue dress underneath, and turned the shaking prince towards the inn-keeper. Chara was clutching to the front of her dress, and was obviously sick. 

“_Puer_,” she murmured. Latin for ‘child’. Chara shifted and woke slightly.

“Mama, I’m cold,” he whimpered before burying his head in her chest, seeking the warmth of her ecto-body. 

“_ Scio Princeps: da nobis modicum et iam non possis requiem _ ,” she said before hiding him once again in her cloak. _ (I know my prince, just give us a little longer and you can rest.) _

“Oh. He’s real sick ain’t he?” the inn-keeper remarked, a surprised look on his face. 

“He decided that wandering off while I bought some bread when there were storm clouds coming in was a good idea. By the time we found him, it was pouring rain,” Zapfino commented, clearly concerned. Fresh reached a hand and placed it on her shoulder, comforting her. 

“Sounds like bad parenting to me.” The man huffed reaching for a key. Zapfino tensed under Fresh’s hand.

_ Of all the things this guy coulda said, this wasn’t really the best choice if I’m supposed to stay calm. Heck, the one I’m worried about at this point isn’t even Zapfino, it’s what she’ll do to this guy! _Fresh complained in his mind. The inn-keeper was lowering his chances of survival by the second. 

“May we have a _ room _?” He asked for the third time. He felt Zapfino shift under his hand, which was still on his shoulder. 

“Nos adepto ut aliqui cibi. Plurimum nocuit pluvia dicendorum.” Zapfino murmured. (We should get some food. Most of what we had was ruined by the storm.)

Fresh knew she was right. They had very little supplies, and they were all stored at their makeshift camp. Any food they had there was ruined. It would be a good idea to stock up now. He made a mental note to carry their supplies with them from now on to prevent something like this from happening again. 

“Yeah, yeah, here’s your keys. Hey, what language is your wife speaking in? Doesn’t sound like giant.” The man asked, handing the two keys to Fresh, who took them quickly. 

“Latin.” Zapfino responded. “I am speaking in Latin. It’s a pretty language, much prettier than my native language.” 

‘Native’ of course referring to giant, which was a mixture of Norse and Scottish. However, it was common knowledge that giants liked speaking in any language other than their own, as it _ wasn’t _their own, rather a mixture of two. So this excuse worked well. 

“Well you’ve got a pretty voice. You know, for a _ giant _. The man responded before picking up a book, seemingly done with the conversation.

_ Dat’s my girl. _Fresh thought, smirking under his mask. He always loved his wife’s smarts. 

“Latin.” Someone behind them said. 

Fresh turned to see who had spoken, and was greeted by the face of a _ very drunk _man. 

The chatter and sounds of people eating had resumed after he had started his conversation with the inn-keeper, but they quieted when Fresh walked towards the man, his body language clearly screaming “_ CHOOSE YOUR WORDS WISELY” _

“Latin,” the man repeated, looking down into his drink. He took a few steps before he leaned on the wall of the inn. 

  
“Well ain’t you _ fancy _.” He sneered.

“Think *hic* think you’re better than me _ BITCH _ just because you’re taller than me and can s-speak a _ fancy _language?” He waved his hand in the air.

Fresh took a step forward.

The man gestured towards Zapfino. “Bet that kid of yours ain’t even your husband’s. Bet you got pregnant selling yourself like some _ whore.” _

Fresh took another step forward.

“Yous probably a _ witch. _ ” The man was yelling by now. 

Fresh was on the verge of hitting the man.

“Doncha *hic* doncha knows magic ain’t allowed if ya ain’t a mage?” The man muttered.

Fresh stopped.

Judging from what the man was saying, he’d come here to get drunk, and was clearly so, but that did not excuse what he was saying to _ Fresh’s _wife. And he would have been content to leave the man with just a warning to never speak to Zapfino that way again, if it hadn’t been for what he said next. 

“Don’t matter if you’re a giant or a monster. You could be THE KING OF THE GIANTS FOR ALL I CARE!” he roared. “BUT YOU DON’T DESERVE TO BE ABOVE *hic* ABOVE GROUND!” He moved towards Fresh, and pushed him with his finger. With his finger still on Fresh, he turned towards Zapfino and pointed with his other hand, which was still holding his drink. “Yous nothing but a _ leech _who’s making everything harder on everybody else.” 

Fresh heard Zapfino’s breath hitch. He didn’t hear much else.

This man was _ touching _ him. Had insulted his _ wife _ . Had called her a _ slut _. And Fresh would have forgiven him as he was obviously drunk, except for the fact that the man called Zapfino the one thing he’s promise she’d never have to hear again. 

Fresh was slow, calculating in his movements. He was _ brimming _ with rage, but he needed to keep it together. Rage was an _ easy _ emotion. He didn’t have to focus like with kindness, he didn’t need to try to keep it up like being happy. He could just, _ let go _ , and let his emotions take over. But under NO circumstances could he do that right now. He vaguely noticed Zapfino walking up to the counter where they were serving food. He was _ so close _ to losing it. He was about to snap when he decided to flick his eye-lights towards Zapfino. She looked at him briefly and he felt her send messages to his soul. _ Easy. Calm. _ These were the words that snapped him out of his rage,and allowed him to calculate his next steps. A slow, hidden smile stretched his face as he realized _ exactly _what he was going to do to this man.

Slowly, he reached up a hand, and grabbed the man’s wrist. He lifted it away from him, slowly applying more pressure as he went. The man’s face quickly turned to one of fear, and he started to struggle against Fresh. Pulling him quickly, close to his mask, he whispered into the man’s ear. 

“Touch me again, and I’ll break your wrist. _ Insult my wife _ ? I’ll _ kill _you.” 

He quickly let the man go, who practically _ ran _across the room away from him, rubbing his wrist. Fresh watched him for a moment before joining Zapfino at the counter. 

“Three loaves of bread,two apples, and three containers of water please.” Zapfino asked the man at the counter. 

“‘Ere ya go.” He gruffed, handing her the food. She turned to Fresh and spoke again. 

“We should get him in bed as soon as possible.” She turned towards the inn-keeper and raised her voice. “Are we allowed to take our food upstairs sir?” She asked.

“Go ahead.” The inn-keeper, clearly unfazed by what had just occurred. 

Zapfino wasted no time in grabbing Fresh’s hand, and dragging him to the stairs. 

“How do you even know which one is the right one?” Fresh asked teasingly as they walked along the hallway of doors. 

Zapfino let go of Fresh’s hand and pulled out the key she had been given, and held it up. 

“It says ‘5’ right on it silly.” She teased right back, counting the doors as they passed. 

“How's the kid doing?” He asked as they walked down the hallway, the noise from downstairs significantly quieter. Zapfino shifted Chara in her arm again. 

“He’s passed out. I don’t think he’ll be really sick, and we’ll be able to leave in the morning for the capital. I think he was just cold.” Zapfino murmured. “My body heat has helped a lot, and I’ve been pumping green magic into him almost this entire time trying to heal any scrapes or internal damage he might have.” 

They stopped in front of a mahogany door, the same number as on the key carved in beautiful detail on the door. Fresh placed a hand on it, feeling the intricate design through his glove. 

“Room five.” He said quietly. Taking out his own key, he unlocked the door and opened it slowly. “After you babe.” He said.

Zapfino stopped and stared at him. _ Why is sh-. Oh. Ooohhhhh. _

Fresh had called her babe for the first time in two years. He’d slipped up, but from the happiness Zapfino was sending his way, she didn’t mind all that much. 

He made another mental note. 

  
“Thanks Fresh.” She said, and he could practically _hear_ her smile as she walked through the door. Fresh followed behind her, and closed the door with a _click_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I worked hard on it, sorry it took so long to get it finished! I'll try to get a schedual going, but don't count on it! If you've got questions, hit me up on Tumbr or DeviantArt, or in the comments!
> 
> Lolli's profile:https://archiveofourown.org/users/lollipopkitten93/pseuds/lollipopkitten93  
Lolli's Tumblr:https://lollipopskele.tumblr.com/  
My Tumblr: https://echobird53.tumblr.com/  
My Deviant Art: https://www.deviantart.com/phoenixwarrior0218

**Author's Note:**

> Kay! That's the first chapter! Sorry it's kinda short, as time goes on the chapters will get longer.  
Go check out Lolli's tumblr: https://lollipopskele.tumblr.com/


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